How I Built My Way
to Disneyland
How I Built My Way
to Disneyland
"If you can dream it, you can do it" is one of Walt Disney's most famous quotes.
There's only one problem. It's not his quote!
However, while Walt may not have said it himself, it was the catchphrase used by my favorite video game, Disney Infinity. In 2014, I dreamed of being one of the top players in the world, and in 2015 it actually happened.
Being a huge Disney fan and avid video game player, when Disney Infinity was released, it was a match made in heaven. Disney Infinity opened my eyes to the world of virtual design and level building in an aspect of the game called The Toy Box (think of it as a MineCraft with Disney characters). With weekly building challenges judged by the community team at Disney Interactive, I decided I wanted to become a “Toy Box Artist” and compete with thousands of other people from around the world.
Over the course of a year, I submitted 16 of my levels to Disney Infinity. With 7 wins and 3 honorable mentions under my belt, I was known throughout the Disney Infinity community. The response was overwhelming with over 150,000 downloads of my toy box submissions worldwide among the millions of players.
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In July 2015, the Disney Infinity Team announced plans to hold something called The Toy Box Summit, and invited all artists with 8+ featured toy box wins on an all-expense-paid trip to California for the six day event. Sixteen toy box artists qualified from around the world and accepted the invitation, and I wasn't one of them. I was one win short with only 7 featured wins.
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Luckily for me, the Disney team announced there would be a final building competition for 4 extra spots to attend the summit in California. The challenge theme: a summer vacation destination.
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I had dreamed of being one of the best in the world, and thought of going to Disneyland all my life. I knew this was going to be my chance. I spent days building a toy box to be the perfect replica of Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii. I built a racing game around the lazy river, a seek-and-find game around the resort, and a pool with an erupting volcano slide.
I dreamed it, and then I did it.
On July 15th, 2015, I received a call from Disney Infinity’s lead community manager informing me that I was one of the four winners! I had an unforgettable trip to Disneyland where I was dubbed a “Master” Toy Box Artist, competed in an 18-hour building competition, presented to a live audience and online Twitch stream, was the deciding vote that got a Peter Pan character created. Until Infinity's unfortunate cancellation in 2016, I was also part of a community advisory board that shared my thoughts with developers and executives.
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Dreams come true. I'm proof.
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“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” -Walt Disney
